Former President Donald Trump was less worried about the 2016 election than he was about the future of his marriage when he allegedly authorized hush money payments to Stormy Daniels, the adult actress he's accused of having an affair with, a biographer has claimed.
Writer Tim O'Brien said Trump was likely terrified about the reaction of his wife Melania, though that doesn't mean the effect on the election didn't also concern him. If Melania Trump left Trump a month before the election, it would have hurt his image, O'Brien said.
Speaking to MSNBC on Monday, O'Brien recalled that the ex-president's former lawyer Michael Cohen has a recording of Trump associated with the Stormy Daniels hush money payments in which Trump tells Cohen to coordinate everything with Trump Org. CFO Allen Weisselberg. That executive is currently in New York City's Rikers Island jail after a fraud investigation found he took un-taxed perks like cars, apartments and tuition.
"This isn't only hearsay," O'Brien explained, "they have Trump on tape asking someone to commit a crime. And nothing of substance went on in the Trump Organization at all that involved money that Donald Trump didn't sign off on if the sums were significant or the consequences were significant."
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O'Brien went on to explain that he thinks Trump was legitimately scared of his third wife and more news about his notorious affairs coming out.
"I think he was also worried about his marriage getting blown up," he said. "Donald Trump has a long history of cheating on his wives, and I think he probably was more afraid at that point of Melania Trump than he was of the electorate. So, he had the motivation to try to get this out of the way.
"I think the larger issue here is, what are we expecting to get out of this particular case? I think all of the lawsuits targeting Trump that are in play right now, his critics, I would include myself among them, hope that Trump is brought to some sort of justice before 2024. I don't know that this case is going to satisfy anybody who is tired of Donald Trump spending years avoiding the rule of law I think there's a standard here in which he should be held to the same standards as everybody else."
He also remarked that the Supreme Court has already decided in the Trump taxes case that he is not above the law.
"I think in the larger sphere of things that are staring at him, that represents existential threats, I don't think this one is the tallest order," he closed. "I think it's important that [DA] Alvin Bragg see it through, and I think it's important that Trump be held accountable under the law. But I don't think the DOJ, I think, sees this particular case, as the meatiest thing they can lay at his feet."
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Biographer: Trump was legitimately scared Melania would leave him — and that explains a lot www.youtube.com
